01. 17 years in Marketing Management. 02. 14 years hiring and managing personnel. 03. Involved in 8 company start-ups. 04. 13 years in business to business marketing. 05. 13 years managing marketing for service companies. 06. 10 years developing and implementing corporate web strategies. 07. 5 years experience as a consultant. 08. 4 years in international marketing. 09. 4 years experience in retail store management.

My background is very entrepreneurial. My first business was a retail bike store where I was general manager. In that business, my associate and I were trying to find exclusive products from Asia that we could distribute throughout Canada. We made contacts in Japan, Korea and China and thus began my work and experience in the international marketing field.

After, I had the chance to work with one of the most recognized brand in Canada: Kodiak. As a marketing coordinator, I would assist the National Director in developing and implementing local and national marketing strategies. This time at Kodiak was a very special one as the company was starting to grant franchising rights to extend the brand. I am very proud to see that, even today, many of the initiatives that were developed back then are still in use and that many of the franchisees are still using the brand successfully.

While at Kodiak, I started doing my M.B.A. from HEC Montreal and since we had many in-company interventions and support programs, I was able to secure some mandates which then enabled me to move from Kodiak to consulting.

One of those mandates was with a corporate training school. After a time, I was offered the role of Director of Sales and Marketing. While with the school, we went from a company with a single service to a diversified company having a wide array of services. We also concluded a student exchange agreement with Costa Rican schools.We were amongst the first Montreal companies to do business online. In 1998, we had an interactive web site generating up to 80% of our new contracts. A branch was opened in Toronto and our list of clients included some of the most prestigious companies in the Montreal region. In less than 10 years, we moved from a small training center to one of Montreal's most respected linguistic training school. The name of that school: Langage d'ici.

Now in Mexico, I wish to help Canadian and American companies enter into this promising market.

Today, regardless of your marketing needs, you do have an option: Principio.

I am looking forward to being a part of your success.

Stéphane Elmaleh-Riel, MBA
Founding President

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